Introduction and Overview

Contrary to the tradition in Europe, where most countries covered public sector workers along with private sector workers in their legislation, the United States excluded them when it passed its collective bargaining legislation----the National Labor Relations Act-in 1935 promoting bargaining, and in 1947 when it passed legislation regulating bargaining--the Labor-Management Relations Act. Not until the 1960s and 1970s when many states and the federal government authorized bargaining by public employees did public sector bargaining become widespread in the United States.1